Get ready to dust off those dictionaries because 24 of the best and brightest students in the School District are getting ready to s-p-e-l-l their way to the top.
On Monday evening at 7, four students from each of Culver City’s five elementary schools, plus the Middle School, will compete in a District-wide spelling bee at Robert Frost Auditorium, 4401 Elenda St.
The participants are:
Middle School
Nifemi Okuboyejo, Grade 6
Kennedy Green, Grade 6
Kiana Van Vlack, Grade 6
Azucena Cruz, Grade 6
Lin Howe School
Timothy Martin, Grade 5
Karina Baker, Grade 5
Jasmin Flores, Grade 5
Jan Richard Rodriguez, Grade 5
El Marino Language School
William Yates, Grade 5
Caitlin Waters, Grade 5
Price Campbell, Grade 5
Lindsey Tanita, Grade 5
El Rincon School
Fred Wadibia, Grade 5
Makayla Ogudo, Grade 5
Meklit Iyob-Tessema, Grade 4
Deion Turner, Grade 4
Farragut School
Kristian Cisneros, Grade 4
Sean Lee, Grade 5
Thet Naing, Grade 5
Madison Ono, Grade 5
LaBallona School
Jordan Henderson, Grade 5
Chad Altobelli, Grade 5
Tahmid Khan, Grade 4
Tatiana Longsworth, Grade 4
The competition is sponsored by Westfield Fox Hills. Admission is free, and open to the public.
“Every year, millions of students participate in spelling competitions around the country,” said Asst. Supt. Diane Fiello. “We are excited to be having a District-wide spelling bee right here in Culver City.”
The winner will advance to the County competition in Alhambra on Wednesday, March 19.
In addition, the winner of the Culver City competition will receive a $250 savings bond, courtesy of Westfield Fox Hills. Second- and third-place finishers will also receive savings bonds, and every participant will receive a certificate.
This is the third year that the Los Angeles County Office of Education will hold a County Spelling Bee.
More than 80 years ago, the first National Spelling Bee was launched in Kentucky by the Louisville Courier-Journal ,in 1925. With competitions, cash prizes, and a trip to the nation’s capital, the Bee hoped to stimulate “general interest among pupils in a dull subject.”
